User Reviews

Reviews by ahatcher78:

On tap at the brewery served in a Pisgah Pint glass on 12/26/08, and what a way to send out 2008.

A- medium reddish tint, or it seemed that way in the darkness of the tasting room with a lot of depth. A fairly descent eggshell head maybe a fingers worth, that dissipated leaving a tacky lacing on the glass.

S- Raspberry Raspberry, and more Raspberry. A touch of biscuit,sweet, and maybe a twinge of earthiness.

T- WOW! The boys at Pisgah have hit a homerun. Raspberry,cherry,a hint of hops, some belgian yeast, and a hint of wood. I didn't get any Thyme, but maybe that's just me.

M- Light to medium mouthfeel. Fine carbonation. Dry not tacky at all. Almost like a wine cooler,but drinkable and good.

D- I have to say this is one of the best beers I've ever had. No hint of alcohol till you feel it creeping up in your cheeks a drink or two in. Just fantastic. So much going on with this one. Not overbearing with the oak just hiding out in the background. So good!

More User Reviews:

Finally going to get around to do a nice review of this one. I had it before but never in the right state of mind, this time was going to be different! Served in a pint glass and poured cold, this one was enjoyed on 02/23/2009.

The pour was very nice with an apple juice like color with a good amount of haziness to it. Nice light head of white on top and some light carbonation bubbling up throughout. The aroma was insane. Lots of raspberries, hints of almost honey like sweetness, light pepper like notes and a wave of vanilla and oak. As you take a sip there are soo many flavors I do not even know where to start. Lots of raspberries, peaches almost and light pepper lead the way before the oak and vanilla come in and wipe the slate clean. Damn near perfect carbonation on this one as it just was light enough to keep it coming foward on the palate throughout.

Overall this one was one of the most intresting and well put together beers i have ever had. If only some more could come along, this was just tremendous.

Straight out of the finishing tank @ Pisgah the Thursday before BrewGrass, thanks Dave! Since this beer is now official I thought it OK to finally list it.

Due to the "kitchen sink" nature of this beer I had no choice but to list it as a fruit beer!

In creation since August of 2007, this beer is one mother of a brew. Concocted with a Belgian yeast strain, champagne yeast, orange peel, thyme, raspberries and then aged on oak chips! WTF!

A-Deep reddish tinged amber with a medium white head that held on and finally reduced to leave decent lace.

S-Strange and complex but intoxicating! Belgian yeast mustiness with notes of spice and a sour twang from the raspberries. A bit of alcohol heat sneaks in at the end.

T-A whirlwind of flavours...sweetness provided by the fruit and malts countered with a dry astringency brought upon by the bitter orange, oak and alcohol. A complex amalgamation of flavours that with each sip brings to mind something new.

M-Medium-light bodied with a smooth, sweet kissed dryness. Almost borders on the feel of a sparkling wine. Bright and crisp.

D-Fantastic stuff....the product of an epic experiment over a year in length! This stuff is truly magical and another testimony of the mad genius that is the collective of Dave and Jason at Pisgah. I would love to give it a 5 but I am sure that too many of these might cause permanent damage!

Had this last night on tap at the wonderful Thirsty Monk in Asheville. I may never have it again, so I took my time... or at least tried to.

Dancin' Hobo is a curious thing. Listed at 13.2% on the menu, it's a dingy, homeless, pale, pink-copper brew. A fine 2 finger head springs up off the tap, the settles to a ragged cover on the beer. The head stays around and leaves a little lace, but the brew itself is pretty still and lifeless. Dancin', it ain't...

...but YOU might be once you smell this stuff. Heavens above! Big tart and juicy raspberries dominate, and there's all kinds of interesting things going on... sweet sugars, a floral, fresh note, spices, definite thyme, yeasty vitamin-B scents, a touch of grapes and hop twang, a meadish honey smell, and virtually (until it gets much warmer) no booze. I mean it... it smells more like juice than ale. But such a juice!

The flavor continues in harmony with the smell. Big notes of berries and sweet honey blend with a dry, yeasty and ultimately clean fermented style. Tart cranberry, hints of red wine and spice, a tad Belgian Wit-like... and still barely any booze to be noted. The back of my throat warms and the hooch hits the head faster than a two-by-four wielded by a street bum on PCP. I confess the booze is still hardly in the actual flavor at all... this is sheer insanity. Dancin' Hobo is the easiest 13% beer I've ever drunk. No, really.

Mouthfeel is thin, think of sparking, finely carbonated cranberry juice and you've got it. Allagash Victoria comes to mind... the finish is all raspberry, dry and champagne and mildy herbal. Is this fizzy raspberry mead, or beer? Gosh, I just don't know what to say...

Pisgah has crafted something off the charts drinkable. Dancin' Hobo will slake your thirst and punish your liver. I can honestly see myself drinking this all night, or until my head hit the floor. Just... madness... if I had this growing up I'd be the world's best dancer for sure!

This is the most interesting beer Pisgah has done; and has Dogfish-style boldness written all over it. Watch these guys, if they keep putting beer like this out there is no stopping 'em!

Pours what looks like a very light cider looking color, with a slight pinkish/light red hint to it. A very crisp white, 2 finger head. Very light foamy in texture. The smell is a sweet, yet crisp raspberry aroma with some spicy backbone. The taste is an awesomely crisp, from the champagne yeast, mixed with a sweet raspberry flavor. I normally would not think too much of brew in this vein, then again I am not sure what vein this beer truly is, but this is refreshingly easy drinking raspberry ciderish thing, with the crispness of champagne, and perfect amount of fruit sweetness. They say its a bit over 13% ABV, but you'd never know, this thing is dangerous. They say they also oak aged this, as a result of numerous mistakes, but in this case, the mistakes have resulted in a truly amazing and original brew.

On Tap at the Brewery - Pours an "apple cider" color. (I could not see the clarity due to the fact that I was drinking from a plastic cup as Pisgah's new dishwasher was on the fritz.) Smells of sweet raspberries and some fermentation and spice notes. First sip was all sweet raspberries at first, then a lovely spicy bitterness takes over. Eighteen months of oak aging really added to this somewhat weird but glorious brew. No doubt this concoction is complex. There is a whole lot going on here. The champagne yeast somehow works adding to the flavor and getting this puppy up to a whopping 13% ABV. That high ABV is extremely well hidden. Very unique, very yummy...WOW!

Not being a fan of fruit beers I was curious about this since I love raspberry's, champagne, and beer. So sure I'll bite, after being shocked by the "Red Devil" what the hell.

This pours a redish clear color, like a cherry cider, little head and not much lacing. I'm thinking this is going to be weird...

Taste...hum, this is good! Rasberry and spices is what I'm getting, very nice and complex beer with a wonderful flavor. Mouthfeel is very good and drinkibility is off the charts...you never ever notice this is a 13% beer...it's so drinkable you could end up in BIG TROUBLE with this brew...damn this is good!

Since they don't bottle this you will have to visit them to try it...it's worth the trip!!

a-dingy ruby colored with a nice 1 finger head that lingered for a little while but with high abv i didnt expect it to last as long as it did..

s-dry smell, very little alcohol in the smell..rasberrys and a slight earthy note...maybe from the oak chips they threw in...

t-slightly dry and crisp at the same time..slightly sour and sweet at the same time...a very unique brew probably the most unique ive had....im not a fan of fruit beers but this shined to me..very slight rasberry taste throughout..just enough imo to combat the high abv...that champagne yeast really pulls together a tight dry finish...top notch

m-very crisp and refreshing....not heavy at all...but drying at times

d-while i would not want to have several in one night....i could have this often but im afraid i will never see it again...my father in law went with me to the brewery on the 11th and he said "its like drinking moonshine out of a radiator but its as smooth as drinking tap water...wheres the alcohol"...he loved it and hes a bmc guy....

overall a truly impressive place and beer...would love to have this again if give the opportunity

Appearance: A hazy burnt orange beer, deep and vibrant, with a one-finger, dull white head with impressive retention, given the known alcohol-by-volume. Lacing is blobby and sticky, also surprising for the same aforementioned reason. Carbonation is fine and very, VERY slow. A solid beginning.

Aroma: Sweet raspberries and vanilla dominate here, with an underlying woody and yeasty earthiness and a handful of hidden roasted malts picking up the slack. Not yet blown away, but I like what I'm partaking in.

Taste: Closer to getting blown away. Hints of rum soaked fruits, wonderfully-authentic raspberries, the same roasted malt notes, and tons of vanilla and oak make up the bulk of this one. It's near 'bout the perfect mix of dry and sweet, and has that crisp, light champagne. The raspberries fade as it warms and are replaced by darker, more complex notes, a little boozier with a slight prickle - pears and minor, peppery spices. Most excellent.

Mouthfeel: Incredibly soft and delicate, with absolutely huge effervescence. It's so very soft though, and the sheer volume of fluff here cuts through what would otherwise likely be very syrupy, leaving a nice, pleasant, perfectly enjoyable medium body.

Drinkability: Where's the 13%? Not here, that's for sure. I had no idea I was so close to #600 when I went on my North Carolina road trip, and I'm very glad that I landed here when #600 was upon me. This is one impressive beer, and manages to exhibit characteristics from each of its bullet points - it's light, crisp, and high in alcohol as a result of the champagne yeast, full of wonderful, authentic, sweet raspberry notes, and replete with oak, wood, and stray vanillin esters. Just an absolute treat, and a true shame that there was a 1 per customer limit. Highly recommended.